Wednesday, March 2, 2016

Romney lost must-win Ohio in 2012. By wide margin, Ohio voters thought Obama would be better for the middle class and overall economy than Romney, thus undercutting entire premise of Romney candidacy which included scripted speeches with no message-CNN, 9/26/2012

Two surveys released in
recent days, one from the Ohio Newspaper Association and another from
The Washington Post, crystallized the challengefacing Romney as he
embarks on his second straight day of campaigning in the Buckeye State.

The topline numbers-Obama led by 5 points among likely voters in the Ohio poll, and a
startling 8 points in the Post poll -- only tell part of the story.

Romney's favorable rating
is underwater.Almost two-thirds of voters approve of Obama's decision
to bail out the auto industry, a staple of Ohio's manufacturing economy.
The president leads Romney by a wide margin on the question of who
would do more to help the middle class.

Interviews with some two
dozen Republican strategists and elected officials across Ohio revealed
an array of explanations--and no easy answers--for Romney's failure
to catch on there.

Some pointed to the
Obama campaign's aggressive effort to hang Romney's opposition to the
federal bailout of Chrysler and General Motors around his neck. Others
said a hangover remains from the divisive 2011 battle over collective
bargaining rights that hurt the GOP's standing with working class
voters.

"We are still at a point
where I think it's still a winnable race for Romney," said Ohio
Attorney General Mike DeWine. "Generally when you talk people, there is a
feeling that Obama hasn't done that great a job. But Romney hasn't made
the sale. He still can. But he hasn't made the sale yet."

Another statewide
Republican officeholder who-like others interviewed for this article-did not want to be identified criticizing the Republican ticket,
offered a blunter assessment....

"Why is Mitt Romney running for president and what will his presidency be about?" the
official asked. "I don't think most Republicans in Ohio can answer that
question. He has not made a compelling case for his candidacy. Don't
make your campaign about marginal tax rates. Make it about your children
and your grandchildren and the future of this country."

Romney is adjusting. The
campaign, prevented from spending general election funds until after
the Republican National Convention concluded in late August,launched
its first statewide television buy of the campaign last week.

The former Massachusetts
governor has also intensified his rhetoric on trade, long a potent
issue in Ohio, accusing the president of failing to stand up to China
and costing Americans jobs.

But Romney's argument du
jour -- he has spent a week attacking the president's handling of
foreign policy and the recent turmoil in the Middle East -- isn't likely
to resonate in Ohio as much as a concise and aggressive jobs-themed
message, Republicans said.

Several Ohio GOP operatives even credited the Obama campaign for presenting a more consistent economic argument.

Obama forces have
persistently reminded voters about the auto bailout -- on television and
in small-scale earned media events around the state -- and Republicans
faulted Romney for failing to develop a succinct response to the
criticismin a state where one out of every eight jobs is tied to the
auto sector.

Romney wrote a New York
Times op-ed in 2008 titled "Let Detroit Go Bankrupt" and argued for a
managed bankruptcy for the industry, without the use of government
funds. In May, he took credit for proposing the bankruptcy idea. In
August, he tapped a running mate, Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan, who voted in
favor of bailout.

Meanwhile, the Obama
campaign has aired multiple TV ads on the issue and synced their
pro-bailout message with down-ballot Democratic candidates such as Sen.
Sherrod Brown.

Labor organizations are
leaving thousands of bailout-themed doorknob hangers and making phone
calls to union members highlighting Obama's support for the auto
industry.

According to The
Washington Post poll, 64% of Ohio registered voters view the federal
loans to GM and Chrysler as "mostly good" for the state's economy. Only
29% said the bailout was "mostly bad."Putting a finer point on
the matter, one longtime Ohio GOP strategist called Obama's advantage
on the auto bailout "a kick in the balls" for the Romney campaign....

"Nobody will win Ohio by
5," said Mark Weaver, a Republican consultant with more than two
decades of campaign experience in the state. "Anybody who tells you that
doesn't know Ohio."...

Weaver complimented the
Romney campaign effort and predicted a 2-point victory for Republicans
in November but advised the GOP nominee to spend more time in the state
and rely less on scripted remarks before large crowds.

"I think they need to
get Romney here in Ohio more, and talking off the cuff more," he said.
"I think he is a sincere guy, and I think the more he talks off the
cuff, the more people will like him."

Another Ohio Republican
strategist said Romney should begin dispatching his wife, Ann, to the
suburbs of Cleveland and Columbus, where there is "room for improvement"
-- a nice way of saying that Obama has a double-digit lead among women
voters in Ohio, according to the Post poll.".........................